Track sanding equipment



S BSQMO p 1941- G. s. TURNER I TRACK SANDING EQUIPMENT Filed May 4 19 Patented Apr. 15, 1941 TRACK SANDING EQUIPMENT Guilford S. Turner, Berwyn, Ill., assignor to Morris B. Brewster Co. Inc., Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application May 4, 1940, Serial No. 333,295

3 Claims.

traps provided with nozzles for delivering air under pressure to discharge sand from the trap and through the pipes for delivering the sand to the rails and also to provide means for delivering momentary clean-out blasts directly into the delivery pipes at the beginning and end of each sanding operation and to control the air for the nozzle and forthe clean-out blast from a single manually shiftable valve-operating lever.

In the equipment heretofore used it sometimes occurred that the engineer, in emergencies, would not complete the stroke of the valve-lever from its normal position into position to set the valve for delivering sand to the nozzle so that a blast would be delivered to the clean-out ,ductbut not to the nozzle for delivering sand to the rails. This resulted in a failure to'sand the rails.

One object of the present inventionis to pro.- vide improved lever-operated mechanism for conjointly controlling the clean-out blasts and the sand-delivery blasts which automatically prevents the valve from being set into position to continue the clean-out blasts through error in the movement of the valve-lever by the engineer.

Another object of the invention is to provide improved mechanism for manually controlling the clean-out blasts andthe sand-delivery blasts for the sander.

Other objects of the invention .will appear from the detailed description.

The invention consists in the several novel features which are hereinafter set forth andare more particularly defined by claims at the conclusion hereof.

In the drawing: Fig. 1 is a side elevation of sanding equipment embodying the invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the control-valve, the handle being shown in section. Fig. 3 is a section taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a section taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 3. Fig.5 is a view illustrating the valve-diskin its normal or close position in the valve-casing.

Th sanding equipment comprises at least one sand-trap. 8 which is provided with an inlet for receiving sand from a pipe 9 ,to which the sand flows from a sand-box in the dome of the locomotive, as Well understood in the art. .TIhe trap is provided with an outlet 10 to which is connected a pipe ll for conducting sand to a trackrail. A nozzle l2 inthe sand-trap is adapted to deliver air under pressureinto thetrap-conduit to discharge the sand throu hfiuct 'l into pipe II. An air-pipe I3 is connected to the casing of the trap to deliver air through a chamber I3 to the nozzle. A duct M is provided in the casing of the trap to direct a clean-out blast into the pipe II and a pipe I is connected to deliver air to said duct.

In the operation of this equipment, air for a momentary blast is supplied through pipe IE to clean out the pipe ll before air for discharging sand is delivered to nozzle I2 and also at the end of each sanding operation.

The valve-mechanism for controlling the supply of air for the nozzl I2 and the clean-out blast comprises a valve-casin composed of a body-section l8 and a cover-section I9 removably secured together by bolts va valve-disk l6 rotatably mounted in the casing; and a hand-lever l1 for shifting the valve-disk. Hand-lever I1 is fixedly secured to a stem 2| which extends through, and is rotatable in, the body-section l8 and is provided with .a spline 22 at its inner end which fits in a socket in one face of the disk 16 for rotating the disk with the hand-lever IT. The valve mechanism illustrated is adapted to control the delivery of sand to the nozzles and clean-out ducts of a pair of traps for sanding different pairs of driving-wheels or driving-wheels on the opposite sides of the locomotives, only one sand-trap and the connections for one trap being illustrated. The cover-section I9 is provided with a chamber 23 to which air is constantly supplied from the usual supply reservoir by a pipe 24 which is connected to the bottom of cover-section l9. Valve-disk I6 is provided with a series of ports for controlling the flow of air through the body-section l8 to the sanding-nozzles and the clean-out ducts of a pair of traps. A chamber 26 is formed in body-section l8 and is connected by a pipe 21 to pipe l5, which delivers air to the nozzle l2of one of the sand-traps for sandin a rail in front of one of the driving-Wheels. A chamber 28 is formed in theopposite side of body-section l8 and is connected by a pipe 29 to the nozzle of another trap (not shown); and a chamber 30 which is connected by pipes 3|, 32 to pipes 15 which deliver air to the clean-out ducts M of the sand-traps, respectively. Partitions 33 and 3 3, integral with body-section 18, separate chambers 26, 28 and 30 from one another. A duct 35 extends from seat 36 which is engaged by the inner face of diskvalve Hi to chamber 26, for the flow of air through pipe 21 to the nozzle I 2 of one trap. A duct 31 connects valve-seat 36 to chamber 28 for the flow of air to pipe 29 and the nozzle [2 of the other trap. A pair of ducts 38.

39 connect seat 36 to chamber for the flow of air to pipes 3i 32 and the clean-out ducts.

Valve-disk i6 is provided with a pair of through-ports 4i), 4!, which normally close ducts 35, 31 and which are adapted to simultaneously register with said ports respectively when the valve is shifted into sanding position. Valve-disk IE5 is also provided with a pair of ports 42, 43 which normally close ducts 38, 39 and simultaneously register with said ports, respectively, during the movement of the disk between its sanding and closed positions. The plurality of ports between chamber 32! and valve-seat 36 provides for a momentary blast of great volume to the cleanout ducts E4 in the traps.

The throw of hand-lever i1 is limited to move the valve-disk I6 between its predetermined closed position and its sanding position, by abutments 44 and 45 integrally formed on the bodysection I8 of the valve-casing. The lever is yieldingly locked in its normal and sanding positions by a device which comprises a plunger 46 which is slidably mounted in a socket 41 in the handle ll and carries a roller 48 at its inner end. Said roller is adapted to ride on a track 18 which is integrally formed on the body-section is. A spring 49 in socket 41 presses the plunger 46 toward the axis of the lever. A pin 50 extending through an elongated notch 5| in one side of plunger 45 holds the plunger against rotation in socket 41. This track on which the roller 48 rides comprises a curved recess 52 positioned to yieldingly lock the lever I! in its normal position with the valve-disk it closed, and a notch 53 positioned to yieldingly lock the lever in sand ing position at the end of a full stroke of the lever [1. Between notches 52, 53 the track Ill is provided with a V-shaped portion or cam having inclined sides 54 and 55 on which the roller 48 rides and which causes the lever to be automatically swung to either side of the apex. The apex of the V-shaped track is positioned at the point where the roller 48 will engage it at the time that the ports 42, 43 for delivering the clean-out blasts are open to deliver air into chamber 33. When the engineer shifts lever H from its normal position for a sanding operation, roller 48 will ride out of notch 52 and outwardly on the inclined side 54 of the track and this movement of the roller will force plunger 46 outwardly and compress and store power into spring 49 until the roller reaches the apex of the camportion of the track. After the roller passes over the apex, it will be forced downwardly by spring 49 into engagement with the inclined side 55 of the track until it passes into notch 53 where the lever will be yieldingly locked and the valve-disk l6 will be in sanding position with the ports 4i) and 4| in the valve-disks open to deliver air to chambers 26, 28, respectively, and tothe nozzles 12 in the sand-traps. In the movement of the lever ll between its normal and sanding positions, ports 42, 43 will be simultaneously and momentarily opened to deliver air into the chamber 33 for the clean-out blasts to ducts M in the sand-traps. The point of the V-shaped cam prevents the roller remaining in position to keep the air supplied to the clean-out ducts. When the lever ll is shifted until the roller reaches the apex of the track betweeninclined sides 54, 55, the force of spring 49 will be applied to plunger 46 and roller 48 to rotate valve-disk so that theports 42, 43 will not remain open. The track forces roller 52 under the spring pressure applied to it to automatically restore the lever to its normal position or to complete the stroke of the lever to its sanding position. The roller 48 is operable inwardly or outwardly only by the track and it is impossible through careless operation, or an incomplete stroke of lever ll, to keep the valve-disk in position .for continued operation of the clean-out blasts when sanding of the rails by air from nozzles is intended. If the engineer releases the lever 11 at any intermediate point between its normal and sanding positions, spring 49, the track l8", and roller 52 will shift the lever 11 to either complete the stroke of the lever tov sanding position or to return the lever to its normal position. When the lever is returned to its normal position no air will flow either to the nozzles or to the clean-out ducts and this condition will be readily observed by the engineer so that another stroke can be imparted to the lever to its sanding position by the engineer. If the handle is released, after the roller 48 has passed the apex of the track, the spring 49 will cause the lever, through the action of roller 48 on the track, to be shifted to its sanding position and cut off the clean-out blasts. As a result, there is practically no likelihood of keeping the clean-out blast open when it is intended to sand the tracks.

The invention is not to be understood as restricted to the details set forth, since these may be modified within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In controlling mechanism for a sand-trap provided with an air nozzle for discharging sand from the trap for application to a rail and a duct for a momentary clean-out blast of sand, the combination of a valve-casing, means for supplying air under pressure to the casing, a movable valve-element inthe casing, the casing and said element being provided with means for successively controlling the supply of air to the nozzle and to the clean-out duct, said element being movable from a normal position to cut off the supply of air to thenozzle and said duct to a sanding position for delivering air only to the nozzle and being adapted, in an intermediate position, to open the supply of air to the cleanout duct, a lever for manually shifting said element, and means for automatically shifting the lever and said element out of the intermediate position either to the closed position or the sanding position for preventing the element from continuing the supply of air to the clean-out duct when the lever is released, said means being adapted to hold the lever in sanding position.

2. In controlling mechanism for a sand-trap provided with an air nozzle for discharging sand from the trap for application to a rail and a duct fora momentary clean-out blast for sand, the combination of a valve-casing, means for supplying air under pressure to the casing, a valveelement rotatably mounted in the casing, the casing and said element being provided with means for successively controlling the supply of air to the nozzle and to the clean-out duct, said element being rotatable from a normal position to cut off the supply of air to the nozzle and said duct to, a sanding position for delivering air only to the nozzle and being adapted, in an intermediate position, to open the supply of air to the clean-out duct, a manually shiftable lever fixed to, and for rotating, said element, and means for automatically rotating the lever and said element out of the intermediate position either to the closed position or to the sanding position for preventing the element from continuing the supply of air to the clean-out duet when the lever is released, said means being adapted to hold the lever in sanding position.

3. In controlling mechanism for a sand-trap provided with an air nozzle for discharging sand from the trap for application to a rail and a duct for a momentary clean-out blast for sand, the combination of a valve-casing, means for supplying air under pressure to the casing, a valveelement rotatably mounted in the casing, the casing and said element being provided with means for successively controlling the supply of air to the nozzle and to the clean-out duct, said element being rotatable from a normal position to out off the supply of air to the nozzle and said duct to a sanding position for delivering air only to the nozzle and being adapted in an intermediate position to open the supply of air to the clean-out duct, a manually operable lever fixed GUILFORD S. TURNER. 

